BBC Northern Ireland (Irish: BBC Tuaisceart Éireann) is the main
public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.

The organisation is one of the three national regions
of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC
Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides
television, radio, online and interactive television content. BBC
Northern Ireland currently employs 700 people, largely in
Belfast.

Television

Prior to 27 October 2006, BBC Two NI was a digital
only service while BBC Two Northern Ireland was available on
analogue transmission. Since 28 October 2006, BBC Two Northern
Ireland has been the on-air name for both services which have
been merged.

BBC Northern Ireland makes some of its own programmes itself.
However, unlike the radio stations, the television stations'
content is for the most part identical to that broadcast by the BBC One and BBC Two channels in England. Some network programmes may however be
time-shifted in order to make room for more local programming. Most
local programmes are broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland.

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Regional
television

BBC
Newsline is the regional news service. Its main presenters
are Noel
Thompson, Donna
Traynor, Sarah
Travers and Mark Carruthers. The main bulletin is
from 18.30-19.00 with shorter bulletins at 13.30 and 22.25.
Summaries are also broadcast during Breakfast and the early afternoon
(all the BBC regions broadcast their own regional news
simultaneously before all the networks reconnect to the national
network for a national weather broadcast);

Networked
productions

As well as programmes intended purely for a regional audience,
BBC Northern Ireland also produces programmes for national
consumption on the BBC's channels across the UK. The main part of
BBC Northern Ireland's network productions are in drama and comedy
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/nidrama). Most recently,
this has included producing the high-profile drama series Messiah.

BBC Northern Ireland is also involved in co-productions with
other broadcasting networks, most notably from across the border
with the Republic's RTÉ.

Radio

BBC Radio
Ulster, on 92-95 FM and 1341 Medium Wave, which broadcasts
throughout Northern Ireland, and

BBC Radio
Foyle, on 93.1 FM and 792 Medium Wave, which broadcasts to the
North West of Northern Ireland

BBC Northern Ireland also takes part in the 'Regionalisation' of
some of the BBC's national radio output. For example, on Thursday
morning from midnight to 2am, Radio 1 splits the home
nations with Scotland,
Wales and Northern
Ireland broadcasting their own shows showcasing regional
talent, with Huw Stephens being heard in England. The Radio 1 Session from Northern
Ireland is presented by Rory McConnell.

Selection of network
programmes

Languages

Although BBC Northern Ireland broadcasts primarily in English,
there is some programming in the languages of Ireland, Irish and Ulster Scots. Radio
Ulster carries a daily programme in Irish and there is an Irish
language section on BBC Northern Ireland's pages, where reference
is made to "BBC Thuaisceart Éireann". There are also occasionally
TV programmes in Irish. Programmes are also broadcast in Ulster
Scots.

There is a weekly radio programme for the Chinese community in
Northern Ireland which broadcasts in Cantonese, called "Wah
Yan Jee Sing".

Technical

The BBC television and radio stations are broadcast primarily
from the Divis (500kW), Limavady and Brougher
Mountain transmitters. Both transmitters receive the BBC stations
via a satellite feeds and each transmitter has a wealth of relay
transmitters to provide analogue service to areas not served by
their respective main transmitter.

BBC Northern Ireland have a radio link from their studios in
Belfast which allows mobile on-location News crews to hear the
studio; the test tone is known as the "commbeep". BBC Northern
Ireland has three main television studios located in Belfast. There
are two small studios located in the BBC Broadcasting House in
Belfast. These are home to BBC Northern Ireland's regional news
& current affairs programmes. They are around
2,000 sq ft (190 m2) each and are called
Studio B and Studio 1. The largest of the studios is called Studio
A which is located in the BBC Blackstaff House on Great Victoria
Street in Belfast (just a few streets away from the BBC
Broadcasting House). The studio measures 6,000 sq ft
(560 m2) and has facilities which equal those
available in the main television studios in London. Studio A has
been home to the award winning local sitcom Give My Head Peace, BBC
Northern Ireland's contribution to BBC Children in Need, Question
Time, Nolan Live and more.

Famous BBC NI
broadcasters

Former BBC NI
Broadcasters

Sean Rafferty - Former presenter of Scene Around Six
and Inside Ulster, evening news programmes broadcast until
mid-1990s, as well as BBC Radio Ulster news programmes, now
a distinguished BBC
Radio 3 music presenter

Gloria
Hunniford - Former BBC NI presenter now well-known national
personality working in network programmes based in London

Controversy

On 16 March 2008, four BBC Northern Ireland journalists were
arrested by the Garda Síochána the Republic's police
force, along with eleven other men in County Donegal as part of a probe into
paramilitary activity. Gardaí were forced to ram a van containing
the four journalists after the driver allegedly failed to stop in
County Donegal. It is understood the vehicle was not being driven
by any of the journalists, who were investigating dissident
republican activity. All of the journalists were released. Four
other men arrested in a follow-up search are still being
questioned.

The arrests were made under Section 30 of the Republic's
Offences Against the State Act, which allows police to arrest any
individual for up to 72 hours.

Lack of GAA
coverage

BBC NI in recent years has been accused of showing bias against
Gaelic games,[2]
the most popular sports in Northern Ireland.[3] Irish
League soccer attendance in Northern Ireland are "meagre" compared
to GAA attendances,[4] yet BBC
coverage of Gaelic games is not as prominent.

Many Gaelic Athletic Association
fans claim the sports are being discriminated against by the BBC in
comparison to other sports.[2]
The BBC's coverage of Ulster inter-county football did improve in
2008,[2]
with them showing all but one of the 2008 Ulster Senior Football
Championship matches, yet their lack of coverage of hurling, club matches and
non-Ulster Championship games still angers GAA supporters. Little
or no coverage was given to the 2008 club championships or the All-Ireland Minor
Championship final replay between Tyrone and Mayo on BBC TV or radio[2].
The BBC would have had to purchase the rights to show matches
outside of the Ulster championships[5] and
described the situation as a "complicated rights issue".[6] The
popular show Sunday Sports Sound on BBC Radio Ulster was scrapped,
before being reinstated in early 2008 and again in October
2008.[2]
The removal of the show had caused outrage among GAA fans in
Ulster.[2]Ulster Council
President Tom Daly called for the corporation to give "more
attention and coverage because of the huge interest in Gaelic games
at all levels"[2]
although he had previously stated that he was "confident that the
standard of coverage of Gaelic Games in Ulster this year will be at
a very high level."[7]